Li-ion battery recycling boost from investment

Lithium metal technology company Lithium Australia (ASX: LIT) is to invest in Melbourne li-ion battery recycling business, Envirostream, with plans to expand its capacity.

The company has invested $600,000 to take 18.9 per cent of Envirostream which operates Australia’s only plant that shreds used batteries.

The process produces a powder containing the critical metal components which is then exported for refining.

Lithium managing director, Adrian Griffin said the company was developing processes for recycling alkaline as well as li-ion batteries.

He said: “We have not limited ourselves to lithium ion batteries.

“Maximising the recycling of all battery metals, something rarely done effectively, is a target we have achieved in university-controlled testing.”

Lithium Australia said funds would be used to expand battery collection and shredding, and to develop hydrometallurgical processes to recover metals.

Process design to extract nickel, cobalt, manganese, lithium as well as graphite will be complete by the end of the year.

Recovered graphite will be used to feed Lithium’s carbon powder pilot-plant in Brisbane, with product destines for regional battery manufacturers.

Picture: sustainability.vic.gov.au

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